Why I Became an Investment Advisor: Drew's Story

My Father was an investment advisor, and so as a young lad I took a keen interest in his business and the markets. He encouraged me to invest early and sometimes took me to portfolio manager presentations. When I was a teenager and wondering what I would do for a living I remember being at an investment presentation with my father and thinking to myself, “one day I’d like to be the guy presenting and making key decisions on where to invest.” So, it’s no wonder I ended up following in my father’s footsteps and became an investment advisor and eventually a portfolio manager.

Truth be told my first love was art. I wanted to be an animator. When I didn’t get accepted into the animation program at Sheridan College, I decided to get a business degree. When I finished school, my dad said to me, “don’t work for me, go get your experience in the corporate world.” Looking back, it was great advice. My first job in the financial industry was at MacKenzie Investments in the early 90’s (Mackenzie Financial in those days). I was a customer service representative, and I loved the action. Everything was exciting, the commute to Toronto, the business of the city, talking to brokers over the phone, the dynamics of the markets, the tape scrolling by on the screen all day. Each day was filled with new challenges, I soaked it all in.

My clients. It’s all about the relationship I have with my clients. Obviously, there’s a passion for the markets, but sifting through the noise, the data, the volumes of information, day-in and day-out, formulating a thesis, and communicating with clients in a way that simplifies everything – that’s the real challenge and I love it. Managing the money and helping clients achieve their goals is the easy part in my view. I think managing emotions and gaining trust is the hardest part of what I do, but it’s what keeps me going. Delivering on what you say you’re going to do – priceless!

Managing money for individuals is not an easy profession. If it was, everyone would do it. It’s an extremely challenging career, but also equally rewarding. I honestly can’t think of anything I’d rather do for a living. However, it’s not just a pay cheque, you must be in it for the people you work with, if not, you won’t last very long in this business.

Honestly, the work/life balance that is possible in this role played a major part. To some extent, there is a lot of autonomy, something that I value very much. In addition, understanding the markets and the planning process was key. Once, I acknowledged that I had something to offer my mind was made up and I’ve been laser focused ever since. I learned at an early age that one of the ways to get ahead in life was through saving and making wise investments. This came natural to me, so once I understood my skills were valuable to others, it naturally led me down this path. At the end of the day, I really enjoy working with people and it’s the relationships that I knew I would build that was and is a very attractive feature.

*Photo of Drew and his dad

To learn more about Drew and the other MSB Wealth Team, visit our team page here